Naruko: Konoha's Hero
by AnimeFanatik91
Summary: Female Naru. This is my first fanfiction. Naruto is tired of pretending. Tsunades lets her be herself .. enter Naruko! But now she has to explain to her team mates ... SasuxNaru pairing.
1. Prologue

_Hey there! This is my first fanfiction. Hope you like it. Please let me know if I can improve in any way._

_Summary: Female Naru. This is my first fanfiction. Naruto is tired of pretending. Tsunades lets her be herself .. enter Naruko! But now she has to explain to her team mates ... SasuxNaru pairing._

(3rd POV)

The story goes that the Fourth Hokage sealed away the Kyuubi no Kitsune inside his newborn son. Well that's the story told to the village of Konoha, who had no part in the final battle with the demon fox. Only the ninjas who survived that fight knew of the truth. That the Yondaime's son is in fact a daughter. But in the attempt of the Third Hokage to protect the vessel child, the Fourth Hokage's daughter was disguised as a boy. It was his dying wish that his daughter would be protected from the scandal and scrutiny of the future generation; and when the time is right, that she is revealed as the heroine of the Hidden Leaf Village. This was the only way the Sandaime thought he could protect the girl from the hatred of the villagers; that a boy would seem stronger, able to defend himself against their attacks. But, that didn't matter to the villagers. They still attacked the 'boy'; thinking that because he was still a child, that he was weak and inferior. The hatred in their hearts would not let them see that this child is not a monster; that this poor innocent child is in fact the reason that the villagers are now safe from the Kyuubi no Kitsune. That this child is a hero.


	2. Chapter 1

(3rd POV)

Naruto sat on top of the Fourth Hokage's head at the Hokage mountain. Looking over the village, he could see many villagers getting ready to start the new day. Naruto isn't an early bird, usually he would still be snoring away in bed. Today would have been the same if he had slept in his apartment last night. However he had overheard some of the villagers planning to burn down his home. With him in it. So it make it seem as if he knew nothing, he sent one of his shadow clones home; the villagers wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Half way through the night he saw the flames and heard the screams of his clone. Almost every light in the village turned on when they heard the piercing screams. But once they realised whose home it was, they returned to their warm beds. Some people must have stayed to put the fire out; it was probably the ninjas on duty that night. Though this wasn't the first time the villagers had destroyed the child's home, leaving him once again homeless. Sighing, Naruto lay down with his hands beneath his head. Soon he would have to go towards the training grounds; Team 7 and their sensei had been training a lot lately because there'd been no missions for them for a long time. It was times like these, when he was alone and angry at the hateful villagers, that he wished he could be himself. Or rather herself. Whenever he was around anyone, especially his team mates, Naruto always wore a goofy smile and acted so hyperactive just so they wouldn't see how much he hurt inside. How much he cried inside. Noticing the time, he stood up and jumped across the rooftops of each building, so he was unnoticed by the villagers. Smirking to himself slightly, he thought he'd give them the satisfaction of thinking he was dead for the time being. As he walked towards the bridge, he noticed that Sasuke and Sakura were already there. He placed his goofy grin on his face and ran towards him, stopping in front of Sakura.

(Naruto POV)

"Hey Sakura-chan," I exclaimed, smiling at her. She just rolled her eyes and turned back to Sasuke, trying (and failing, might I add) to get him to talk to her. Everyone thinks I have the biggest crush ever on Sakura. But I don't. Just like my smile, it's a lie, just to hide myself: pretend to like a pretty girl and obsess over her. Truth is, Sakura really annoys me. She's so self-centred. Though she has her moments when she's nice to others apart from Sasuke. Well, others except from me. Which is fine, I couldn't care less really. Now Sasuke's another matter. True, he's a cold-hearted bastard bent on revenge. But he has a soft side to him. It just takes a while to find it, that's all. Personally, I've only seen it a few times, which I guess is more than anyone else, seeing as it's a really rare occasion. However the best thing about Sasuke is that not only is he my rival (apparently, another thing I fake), he's my best friend. He may not know the real me, but I know him. And at least he cares ... well sometimes. I must have been in my own world because there was an Uchiha hand waving in front of my eyes.

"Naruto." Just one word, but I can tell he's worried even if he doesn't show it. I've known him long enough to know what he's feeling even though he doesn't show anything on his face. I looked at his emotionless face and gave him my trademark smile, receiving his trademark smirk, I turned away to lean over the side of the bridge. I stared at my reflection, seeing the hideous orange clothing I was wearing. I hate orange. But it was necessary. I could feel Sasuke's gaze on me, but I chose to ignore it.

"Kakashi-sensei is late again! We should really buy him an alarm clock. Right, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn." I smiled at the Uchiha's famous response. There was a poof behind us as Kakashi appeared. I just continued looking at the water. He was bound to know about my apartment.

"Yo."

"You're late, sensei!" I could hear him laughing underneath his mask.

"Well you see, Sakura-chan ... I got lost on the road to life."

"Liar." I sighed, Sakura was starting to annoy me,

"Naruto." Damn, he noticed me. I knew he would eventually, but for once it would have been nice if he didn't. Knowing him, he'll probably say something about my ... "I thought your apartment was burned down last night." I could feel my team mates look at me. "I heard you were inside." I heard Sakura gasp, and I could see Sakuse looking for burn marks, though he was trying not to be too obvious.

"You must have heard wrong, sensei." I turned to look at them. For once I wasn't smiling. Thinking about the villagers again made me angry; I was sick of this charade.

"I was worried, Naruto." Sakura was watching me, and it was now obvious that Sasuke was too.

"Don't be. Unless we have a mission, I'm leaving. I need to find a new place to stay."

"Naruto ..." It was Sasuke. He must be having a good day, he never says my name this much. As I walked away, I said one thing to them.

"I wish I had been in the apartment." I could hear Sakura calling after me, but I kept going. I had to. I had to see Tsuande. I had to cry. I'd never felt like this before. I felt so confused. This was the first time that I felt like I was falling apart at the seams.


	3. Chapter 2

(Naruto POV)

I walked through the village, heading towards the Hokage tower. The villagers that were around glared at me, whispering among themselves. Ignoring them, I carried on walking, though I was shaking slightly. My whole life the villagers have done this to me. Ridiculing me, scrutinizing me, hurting me ... I'm just so tired of it all. Tired of pretending to everyone. I walked up the steps to the tower and headed towards Tsunade's room. I didn't bother knocking, I just walked straight in. There was a few of Konoha's ninjas there, probably reporting back from a mission.

"Hokage-sama ..."

"Didn't you're parents ever teach you to knock?" she shouted, standing up at her desk. I froze at that, looking down at the floor. "Naruto." Her voice was softer this time. "I'm sorry. I didn't realise it was you. What do you want?"

"It's okay ... I need to talk to you." I heard her sitting back down.

"Will you excuse us? We'll continue this later." The shinobi nodded and left the room.

(Naruko POV)

Walking towards her desk, I dropped my disguise and let the tears flow down my face. I smiled slightly though, this was the first time I'd removed my disguise in a long time. I'm actually a girl, though for some reason the Third Hokage insisted that I took the form of a boy, but he did tell me it had something to do with Kyuubi. Until I was 8, I grew up believing I was a boy, then the Third decided to tell me. Because I've been 'Naruto' my whole life, I don't know who I really am. I want to be me, not Naruto, which is why I'm here. I looked at Tsuande, I could see she was waiting for me to explain when I was ready. Tsunade-sama is the only one I've told about my feelings lately.

"I don't want to do this anymore." More tears were falling as I continued to look at the floor. I could feel arms wrap around me, pulling me into a hug. She's the only one who ever hugs me. "I'm ... I'm just so tired of it all."

"I know, Naruko. I know." I laughed slightly and I could tell she was smiling. This was the first time I've ever been called by my real name. She pulled away and kneeled down in front of me. "I want to help you so much, kid. But I don't know how. I think you should stay like this. I know you hate pretending, and to tell you the truth, so do I. I hate to see you suffer, Naruko." I nodded, wiping my tears on my sleeve. "When are you going to tell everyone? They're going to be shocked, you know."

"I know. I'll tell them tomorrow. After I've had time to think how to tell them." She patted me on the head, standing up. Suddenly her door swung open and the rest of Team 7 walked in.

"Tsunade-sama! We can't find Naruto anywhere!" Sakura half yelled. I could hear Tsuande mumbling to herself, something about people always barging in without knocking.

"You should make a sign, Tsunade-sama." I felt my team's gazes turn to me, registering for the first time that I was standing there. Kakashi gave me a knowing look.

"Long time, no see." I smiled at him.

"Team 7, this is Naruko. She's an old friend of mine." I stepped forward and held my hand out towards Sakura.

"Pleased to meet you, miss." She accepted my hand and shook it, smiling at me. I held my hand towards Sasuke. He looked from my hand to my face a few times before deciding to accept the handshake. I smiled at him and let go of his hand, but for some reason I found myself missing the warmth of it. I shook it off and hugged Kakashi.

"It's nice to see you again." He hugged me back. The first time I actually dropped my disguise was in front of Kakashi, not long after he became our sensei. We let go and I stepped back towards Tsunade.

"Naruko has no where to stay tonight. Anyone want to offer her somewhere to stay?" I looked up at her.

"It's okay, Tsunade-sama. I can find somewhere myself."

"She can stay with me." I looked at Sasuke, shocked. He was the last person I thought who would offer.

(Sasuke POV)

"She can stay with me."

Great, what have I just gotten myself into? I get dragged around the village to look for Naruto and now I'm saying some girl I've just met can come stay with me? I must be crazy or something. But ... when I shook her hand ... I felt like I knew her. She seems so familiar ... but I just can't seem to place it.

"It's not as if I don't have any room. There's only me in the Uchiha residence." I could see her smiling at me, I couldn't help but smile back. But ... even though the dobe is probably fine ... I'm actually worried about him, especially after what he said before he left ...

(Sakura POV)

Nooooo! This is so not fair! I've been trying to get Sasuke to invite me to his house ever since I've know him. How come this girl turns up and he invites her straight away?! It's not fair. Aha ... I have a plan.

"That's really nice of you Sasuke-kun! I've got an idea. How about I come over as well? We can have a slumber party!"

"No." I slumped in defeat. Maybe it's because I mentioned 'slumber party'. Great, she's probably going to try and steal MY Sasuke-kun! Wait a minute ... I'll find Naruto. He hates Sasuke and he's in love with me, he'll do anything to make me happy and him unhappy. Ha! This will definitely work.

(Tsunade and Kakashi POV)

Heh heh. Perfect.

(Naruko POV)

I smiled at Sasuke. I was so surprised that he offered. I looked to Tsunade and whispered into her ear: "I need money to buy new clothes." She looked at me with a frown on her face. She dug into her pocket and gave me her purse.

"Here, that's all I've got. Was supposed to be gambling tonight with Jiraiya, but I guess I'll have to give that a miss now. Go on, everyone out now. I've got work to do." I quickly hugged her and left, the others following, apart from Kakashi who stayed behind. Once we were outside the tower I turned to Sasuke, putting Tsunade's purse in my pocket.

"Should we get going?" He nodded and I waved 'bye' to Sakura. We started walking towards central Konoha, Sasuke's house was at the other side of town. "Urm, Sasuke?"

"Hn?" I smiled at his response.

"Do you mind if we go to some shops on the way? I have no clothes ... And I need help in choosing them ... I usually wear boys clothes..." I looked away, though I could still feel his gaze on me.

"Why do you wear boys clothes?" I could tell he was looking me up and down. I could feel myself blushing. It's a good job that when I dropped my disguise, I wasn't still wearing Naruto's clothes. I was wearing what he wears underneath all his orange: a plain black shirt and black shorts. Though they were still boy's clothing and it was obvious they were.

"Urm... I guess you could say I'm a tomboy, I suppose. Can we?"

"Why do you need me? Why don't you get Sakura to help you?" Urm ... 'Cause she'd probably bore me to death ...

"Well, I'd rather have you come with me, Sasuke. At least then I'll let an honest opinion. Whereas, I think Sakura dislikes me ... she might lie to make me look weird." He looked down at me while I looked up at him with pleading eyes. Maybe I do have some of Naruto's characteristics.

"Okay."

"Yay!" I jumped and punched the air. I could see him smiling at me so I smiled back, trying to hide my blush. Whenever Sasuke smiles it makes me feel strange in the pit of my stomach, something I've never felt before. We walked around in silence for a while looking for a shop that wasn't too girly. After all, I had been a boy my whole life, so I find myself repulsed by extremely girly things. We finally found a shop that sold regular clothes, yay. We grabbed a few things and I went to the changing rooms to try them on. Sasuke sat down on a chair outside the room I was in, I heard him sigh and smiled. The first outfit was a pair of dark blue/black combat pants and a tight black tank top. I opened the curtain to show Sasuke. "What do you think?"

"It's okay." I nodded and closed the curtain again and changed into the next outfit.


	4. Chapter 3

(Sasuke POV)

I can't believe I'm sitting outside a changing room while a girl is trying to buy clothes. Something is seriously wrong with me today. She went back in, presumably changing into something else. I sighed and lent against the back of the chair. She came out again, even I must say she looked amazing and I've never been interested in girls. She was wearing three quarter length black combat pants and a loosely hanging black and blood red t-shirt. The t-shirt had sleeves that reached to just above her wrists. The underneath shirt was red, and the outer was black. She was wearing flat black sandals and she had plain black fingerless gloves on. I looked up at her eyes. They were sparkling waiting for me to speak. I looked at her hair; it was hanging loosely just past her shoulders. She has piercing azure eyes and sun-kissed blonde hair. I stood up and smiled at her.

"Get that." She looked at me and smiled, causing me to blush. But I quickly replaced it with my expressionless mask. "Come on." We went and paid for her new outfit then walked the rest of the way to the Uchiha residence in silence. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her looking up at me occasionally; opening her mouth but closing it again, as if she changed her mind about it. I unlocked the door to my house, letting her walk in first. As I watched her she seemed to be having an inner battle with herself. "Spit it out already." She jumped slightly when I spoke.

"Nice house." I sighed, but smiled slightly at her cover-up. She sat down on my couch so I walked into the kitchen and looked through the fridge, trying to find something for us to eat. There was left over curry, enough for two, from last week when the dobe came round because he had no money to buy anything to feed himself. Naruto... I wonder where he is. I heated the curry up in the microwave and separated it onto two plates. I grabbed us each a fork and went back to the living room with them. Naruko had her head in her hands and I heard her sigh.

"Here." She looked up at me and smiled slightly and accepted the plate and fork. I sat down next to her and started eating. I saw her looking at it for a few minutes before she started eating slowly. I mentally smiled, she was the exact opposite of Naruto ... Last week he gulped down his food like there was no tomorrow. It was beginning to get dark outside as we ate in silence.

(Naruko POV)

I couldn't help but smile when Sasuke came in with the curry. It's the same one that we ate last week. I had no food in my apartment and had no money because I had to replace the windows and pay the rent. That night I walked around the village and found myself outside Sasuke's house.

_I looked up at Sasuke's house. I saw him pass by one of the windows upstairs and thought how lonely he must get living in that big house all by himself. Walking up to his door I knocked, though I was nervous. I'd never actually been inside his house before. Before I could walk away, thinking I was being stupid, he opened the door and looked at me questioningly._

_ "Dobe."_

_ "Teme." I smiled at our nicknames for each other. Looking down at my feet, I heard him sigh._

_ "What do you want?" I looked up at him and shook my head._

_ "It's okay, it doesn't matter." I turned to walk away but I was stopped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I was too tired and hungry to act happy. Turning back around, his hand stayed on my shoulder, I looked at his hand. Slowly, it made its way down my arm and he took hold of my wrist._

_ "Come on." He guided me into his house, still holding onto me. We went into the kitchen and he sat me down on one of the chairs at the table."You hungry?" I didn't get to answer as my stomach answered for itself. I laughed nervously. He didn't say anything and started to get out different things from places in his kitchen. About half an hour later he set down a plate in front of me and a drink of orange juice. He sat down opposite me with his and just looked at me. I hadn't eaten anything at all that day so I wolfed down the curry. When I was finished I drank my juice and burped._

_ "Thanks, Sasuke." He finished his not long after me and put the dishes in the sink. "Sorry for intruding." He just smiled slightly and walked me to the door._

_ "Why did you come here?" I looked away from him for a few minutes then turned back with my goofy smile._

_ "I don't know... But thanks for the food, teme." I opened the door and stepped out. Before I left I turned back to him and waved slightly. "See ya."_

_ "Bye, dobe." I stuck my tongue out at him and ran home._

Sasuke took our plates and put them in the sink after we'd both finished.

"Do you mind if I get changed?" He shook his head and directed me towards the bathroom. I still had the things that I was wearing before we went shopping so I just changed into them for sleeping in. I folded my clothes up and stepped out placing them on the end of the couch so I could find them in the morning. Sasuke wasn't anywhere in sight so I sat back down on the couch and stared at the coffee table in front of me. There was a pile of photographs sitting there, and I couldn't help but pick them up to look at them. They were mostly of his family, though Itachi was cut or blacked out from them. However I found one of the two Uchiha brothers. Sasuke looked really young; he was on his brother's shoulders. It looks like they used to be really close. Sasuke never talks about his past, though I don't blame him after what his brother did. I looked through the other photos, they were of team 7. There was one of the 3 of us pretending to be Kakashi with our headbands covering one of our eyes. I smiled and put the back on the table. One fell on the floor and when I went to pick it up I saw it was of me (well, rather Naruto) and Sasuke. I had my arm around Sasuke's shoulders and you could see he had his arm around my waist. We were both smiling, well me more than him, but you could see his smile. He was really happy that day, which was strange because he was usually emotionless.

"That's my other team mate." I looked over to where his voice came from. He was only wearing a pair of shorts; his hair was wet so I gathered he'd been in the shower. "We were looking for him today." I put the picture down with the others and Sasuke sat down next to me.

"Are you worried about him?" I suppose I could find out what he thinks of Naruto before I tell him the truth. I looked at him and he sighed, giving me a sad smile.

"Yeah, I guess. I wouldn't have been if it wasn't for the way he left and what he said. He usually seems so happy and cheerful, but when he left ... he seemed so sad, like he was hurting deep inside." I smiled and put my hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure he's okay, maybe he just wanted to be alone. If you don't mind me saying Sasuke... When I first saw you, I didn't think you could care so much about someone else. I dunno, maybe it's the expressionless look you were wearing." I took my hand off his shoulder in case he was angry at me.

"Hn. I guess. You know, that's something Naruto would say to me. Truth is, when he walked away from us, with that sad and lost look on his face I found myself feeling sad as well. It was just so strange seeing him upset. It didn't suit him at all." He turned to me and smiled slightly. "I don't usually talk this much." I nodded and decided that looking at my hands was better than looking him in the face. For some reason I felt ashamed. Sasuke just admitted that he worried about me, and I thought no one cared. Maybe it would be better if Naruto stayed here... Or maybe I should just tell him straight out...

"Sasuke there's something I need to tell you..."


	5. Chapter 4

(Sasuke POV)

"Are you worried about him?" I looked at the picture, Naruko had put it back with the rest, I sighed whilst giving her a sad smile.

"Yeah I guess. I wouldn't have been if it wasn't for the way he left and what he said. He usually seems so happy and cheerful, but when he left ... he seemed so sad, like he was hurting deep inside." She smiled putting her hand on my shoulder in a friendly way. I just sat there, this was the first time a girl's ever talked to me without wanting to get with me. But deep inside, I had that feeling again, the same one I had when I shook her hand.

"I'm sure he's okay, maybe he just wanted to be alone. If you don't mind me saying Sasuke... When I first saw you, I didn't think you could care so much about someone else. I dunno, maybe it's the expressionless look you were wearing." She removed her hand from my shoulder and I actually missed it. I just sat there thinking over what she said. She was right. Until recently I've never smiled or shown any emotion to anyone because all I'm concerned about is getting stronger to kill him. My brother. I shook that out of my head. No. Naruto... he's changed that. Thinking about it now, I still want to be stronger but I don't think I want to be an avenger anymore. Instead of wanting to kill Itachi I often think about Naruto... his goofy smile, his happiness. But that look on his face... maybe he's not as happy as we all think. He grew up with no one to look after him, no one to care...

"Hn. I guess. You know, that's something Naruto would say to me. Truth is, when he walked away from us, with that sad and lost look on his face I found myself feeling sad as well. It was just so strange seeing him upset. It didn't suit him at all." I turned to look at her and smiled slightly. "I don't usually talk this much." I saw her nod, but she was staring at her hands. She opened her mouth to speak...

"Sasuke there's something I need to tell you..."

(Naruko POV)

I started shaking slightly. I felt so bad about not telling him straight away... about making him worry like that. I don't know whether I want to cry or tell him.

"Sasuke... I... I'm sorry. I... I've lied to you..." There was suddenly a knock at the door before I could say anything else.

"Sasuke-kun! Hello? Are you there? I brought snacks for us to share!" It was Sakura. She always ruins everything... I looked up at Sasuke, he was getting up to answer the door. He mumbled something but I didn't quite hear what he said, though I heard him say 'Sakura'. I felt a pain in my heart. Maybe... maybe he actually liked Sakura. Maybe he was just hiding it because he didn't want to hurt her in case he can't kill Itachi... I felt a tear roll down my face. Sasuke... I got up and walked up the stairs, I didn't want to be there if he invited Sakura in. I walked into the first room I came to... it was Sasuke's. It was so plain. It didn't actually look as if he spent any time in there... as if it was a place to sleep and that's it. I sat on his bed, my back against the wall and pulled my knees up to my chin, resting on them. Even though I tried to stop them, the tears just rolled down my cheeks. I should never have lied to them about this. I should have told my team as soon as we became friends... then maybe I wouldn't feel like this. I don't deserve any of them...

(Sakura POV)

Sasuke answered the door and I nearly had a heart attack. He was wearing only a pair of shorts, his hair dripping wet. The water seemed to shine on his well-toned body. I always imagined that he would look good underneath as well.

"I brought snacks for us." I held the bag up for him to see. "I thought we could eat them together Sasuke-kun. Can I come in?" I looked at his face, hoping to see him smile but all I saw was anger.

"No." My heart sunk. Why won't he spend any time with me?

"But, Sasuke-kun..."

"Look, Sakura." I heard him sigh. "You my team mate. I care about you, but that's it. That's all it's ever going to be."

"But Sasuke-kun... I love you."

"Sakura. Don't you get it by now? I don't love you. I never have and I never will. So please, stop following me around like a love-sick puppy. There are perfectly good guys out there that really like you, but I'm not one of them." He was looking straight at me the whole time, but his face didn't soften once throughout. Tears were spilling down my cheeks.

"Why? Why can't you love me, Sasuke?" I grabbed his arm but he shook me off.

"I like someone else." Then he shut the door. I turned and walked away. Then, despite myself, I smiled. If he doesn't love me then I hope the person that he likes returns his feeling. I want him to be happy...

(Sasuke POV)

I leant against the door and slide to the floor. _"I like someone else." _ I can't believe I just said that. Naruto I... I like Naruto. I shook my head and sighed. I can't, it's too weird. But maybe... maybe that's why today when he looked sad, I felt it too. I stood up and went to the living room. I stopped when I entered. She'd gone.

"Naruko?" I looked in the kitchen but she wasn't in there neither. I knocked on the bathroom door then opened it. Not there either. I heard a creak coming from upstairs. Why's she creeping around up there? I made my way up the stairs, there was moonlight shining through the window in the upstairs hallway. _"Sasuke__...__I ... I'm sorry. I... I've lied to you__..." _I wonder what she meant by that. I stopped outside my room and looked in. If I didn't glance for the second time I would have missed her. Her knees were pulled up to her and she had her head in her arms. Because of the way she was sitting, her shirt was pulled up a bit at the side. There was a scar running along her side, it looked relatively new. Looking at her, I could see her shoulders moving up and down slightly and I could hear slight whimpers coming from her. I sat down next to her but she didn't seem to notice. I touched her side, tracing my finger over the scar slightly. She looked up at me. Her eyes were glistening with tears, she looked so sad. She looked just like Naruto did...

"Sasuke..."

"Where'd you get this?" I indicated to the scar. She tried to smile but I could tell it was forced.

"The villagers." I looked at her, then reached out to wipe away some of her tears. "Because I'm different." She whispered it, but I could still hear her. It was as if she was afraid.

"How?" I pulled her towards me, wrapping my arms around her tightly. I had one hand on her head, and one on her back. My back was against the wall and she was now sitting in between my legs with her head against my chest. I'd never live this down if anyone saw us like this.

"Because I'm not like them. And they hate me for it. They're always hurting me because they hate me. And no one can do anything about it because ... because a lot of the ninjas here hate me too. Even though I'm a ninja as well ... they hate me for something that's not my fault." I rubbed her back slightly. How could anyone hate her? She seems like such a kind person to me. Even some ninjas hate her ... for something that's not her fault?

"Naruko ... Why do they hate you?" She shifted in my arms and pulled her shirt up to show her stomach. There was a seal there ... but for what?

"Because the demon fox that tried to destroy this village years ago is sealed inside of me. I'm the vessel for the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

(Naruko POV)

"_Because the demon fox that tried to destroy this village years ago is sealed inside of me. I'm the vessel for the Kyuubi no Kitsune." _I had my eyes closed. I didn't want to see the look on his face, he was probably disgusted, like the rest of them. We stayed like that for a few minutes until I felt his hand touch the seal slightly. I opened my eyes and looked at his. But what I saw was not hate or disgust. I saw pity and sadness. For me. Fresh tears started to spill. All anyone's ever shown me is hatred and sometimes fear. But no one's ever pitied me or felt sad for my sake. "They think that I'm the demon fox. That I might destroy the village at any time. So they hurt me. They don't believe that I'm just a kid. That I'm not Kyuubi." I let go of my shirt and he pulled me back to him, hugging me again.

"Naruko. I don't think that." I looked up at him, resting my head on his shoulder. He was still only wearing his shorts so his chest was bare. I could feel my cheeks heat up by just thinking about it. "I've only just met you, but I think you're a really kind person. I don't think you'd ever hurt anyone like they've hurt you." I lowered my head. There it was again, the stabbing pain in my heart. I pulled away from him and sat on the edge of the bed. I could feel him looking at me but I didn't turn around. Or rather I couldn't. I didn't want to see his face when I told him.

"Sasuke... You don't understand. You haven't just met me. I've known you for a long time. You've just not known the real me." The tears were still flowing and I couldn't stop them. "Sasuke... I've been lying to you... to everyone. Sakura, Kiba, Shikamaru, all of you. Sasuke, I lost my home last night, that's why Tsunade said I needed a place to stay. It burnt down. The villagers burnt it down. They thought I was inside because I sent a shadow clone in there." I could feel him stiffen behind me. He must've figured it out. "Teme, I'm Naruto."


	6. Chapter 5

(Sasuke POV)

"_Teme, I'm Naruto." _I just sat there, frozen in my spot. _"Sasuke... I... I'm sorry. I... I've lied to you__..." _So that's what she meant. I looked at her back, she looked tense, as if she was scared... but I don't get it. Is Naruto actually a girl or a boy? Is he just playing tricks with me?

"I'm sorry..." I could hear her whispering. Naruto... I moved to sit next to her again.

"I don't understand. Who are you really?" She positioned herself so I couldn't see her face.

"I'm Naruko. Naruto isn't real, he's just someone I made to protect myself." We sat in silence for a while, though I could hear her whimpering every now and again because she was crying. Naruto isn't real ... Then where does that leave me? Just before I thought I liked him... and now she's telling me he's not real. *Inner Sasuke: At least I'm not gay!*

"Wait a minute, before you said that I don't know the real you... what do you mean? Surely you're just the same person?" She shook her head and looked at me this time. She looked so upset, but angry at the same time.

"I'm not him. I was forced to pretend. The Third Hokage disguised me as a boy. Until I was 8, I actually thought I was a boy. I put up with the crap the villagers gave me, but when he told me... it started to get to me a lot more. Only Tsunade and Kakashi-sensei knew what I really looked like until today. And only Tsunade knew how I really felt. I went to her today, after I left you guys. And we decided that maybe it was best if I dropped the disguise. I was going to tell you tomorrow... once I thought about how to tell you. But now I think it was a stupid idea. After what you said about how you worried about Naruto... I felt so ashamed of myself, because I was the one making you feel like that. Maybe it's best if I was the one that wasn't real... I don't even know who I am, I only know who Naruto is." She stood up and started making hand signs... Her disguise was a jutsu? She whispered something but I couldn't hear her. She was covered in white smoke... it reminded me of that stupid sexy jutsu Naruto made up. When the smoke was gone, Naruto stood in front of me, his head down so I couldn't see his eyes.

"But, why did the Third make you do that?" I stood up and put my hands on his shoulders. He was wearing the clothes Naruko was... no wonder they seemed a bit big for her, they were actually his.

"He said it was the Fourth's dying wish... he wanted to Third to protect his daughter..." His daughter? That means...

"You're the Fourth Hokage's daughter." It was more of a statement than a question. All he did was nod.

"I better get going now. You probably hate me like everyone else does now..." He turned to walk away. Before he was out the door I grabbed his wrist. The same one that I grabbed that night when he came last week...

"Drop the disguise, Naruko." He shook his head and tried to walk away again. I stepped out in front of him and closed the door, pushing him up against it; I was holding onto both wrists by now.

"Sasuke..."

"Dobe... You really are a baka, you know. If you don't know who you are, then find out. Hiding away won't change anything." I sighed and looked up at him, or rather her. Naruko was now in front of me. She mumbled something under her breath but I didn't quite catch it. "What did you say?" Her head shot up and I could see the pain in her eyes.

"Why do you care? You've got no reason to care about me. You don't even like me, or Naruto. You were only worried because he's your team mate. That's all I'll ever be to you, isn't it? I'll always be the kid that no one cares about! The kid that everyone hates because they either think I'm a demon or because their parents told them to hate me." She was crying again. She sunk to the floor, pulling me down with her.

"Naruko..." I placed my hand on her cheek, I was kneeling down in front of her. I moved her hair out of the way with my free hand. Thinking about it now, there are so many similarities between her and Naruto. The sun-kissed blonde hair, the piercing blue eyes. If you looked closely, you could see that she even had the whisker-like scars on her cheeks. I placed my forehead against hers. I could see a slight blush on her cheeks, then I realised I was still only wearing my shorts. She looked so cute when she blushed... Maybe, maybe it wasn't Naruto I liked. Maybe I saw her inside of him. She's just like me, I guess. She had no one. No wonder she thinks no one could ever care about her, especially since the villagers acted so cruel towards her. I'm going to regret this I'm sure... "You've got it wrong. I do care. A lot." Then I kissed her. I could tell she was shocked but I wanted her to know that she's not alone. Not anymore.

(Naruko POV)

"_You've got it wrong. __I do care. A lot." _He pulled away, but stayed sitting in front of me. His hands were just resting on the floor. Sasuke... I can't believe he just did that. Uchiha Sasuke just kissed me... I could feel something deep down in my stomach, just like last time.

"Sasuke." He got up and sat back down on the bed. I heard him sigh. I wanted to get up to sit with him but I couldn't.

"I'm sorry." I looked up and smiled at him. I crawled over to him and sat next to his legs.

"Don't be, teme. I'm the one who should be sorry. I should have told you everything when I met you. So... I'm sorry, Sasuke." He put his hand on my head and ruffled my hair.

"Can I tell you something?" I rested my head on his legs and he stroked my hair.

"Sure, Sasuke." For the first time in a long time, I felt happy. Just sitting here with Sasuke.

"This is kind of embarrassing. The thing is, today when I was worried about Naruto, well you, I started to think that... well the truth is I started to think I was gay." I couldn't help but laugh and I heard him scoff at me.

"Sorry. Continue." He kicked me. Stupid Uchiha bastard.

"As I was saying. I started to think I was gay... because I thought that I liked Naruto. But then you told me that you're actually a girl... and I was confused. I wasn't sure what I felt anymore. Naruto changed me. He showed me that I shouldn't waste time chasing after my brother. Naruto always fought to protect us. So I want to grow stronger, not to kill my brother, but to protect you. Just like you've protected me."

"I'll always protect you, Sasuke. I may not know who I really am right now, you may not know who I am. But I do know you and I know that you're my best friend. You always will be. I want to always be with you, if it's as friends or more, I don't mind. As long as I'm with you." I sat on the bed next to him and put my arms around him. Hugging him, I smiled. "Sasuke... I feel happy when I'm with you." He wrapped his arms around me, returning the hug. "I know this is asking a lot but ... do you mind if I stay here with you a bit longer, until I get another apartment?"

"You can stay here as long as you want. With me." I pulled away slightly, but I still had my arms around him. I smiled and leaned in towards him but we ending up falling on the bed. I lay in his arms and tried again. I placed my lips on his, closing my eyes. We stayed like that for a few minutes before we had to pull away to breathe. We lay there for hours just talking about anything and everything, until we fell asleep.

(Sakura POV)

As I walked towards to bridge to meet the rest of team 7, I felt as though something was different. Sasuke wasn't there. He's always the first one here, but today he's not. I wonder if he's okay... I rested my elbows on the side of the bridge and sighed. Yesterday Sasuke admitted that he liked someone. But I wonder who it is... he's never seemed to take any interest in anyone before. Expect from that girl. Maybe he already knew her, maybe that's why he invited her to stay with him. When I looked up I saw him and Naruto coming towards me. Holding hands. Sasuke was holding hands with Naruto... Hold up, Sasuke's gay? Just as they got here, Kakashi-sensei popped up out of nowhere.

"Yo. You're late, you two."

"Says you. We were here before you." Naruto stuck his tongue out at our sensei. "Sensei, are you okay? You're 4 hours earlier than usual." Naruto wasn't holding Sasuke's hand anymore, he was happily talking away to Kakashi. I looked over at Sasuke, I wasn't sure whether to say anything or not. He caught my eye and smiled. He actually smiled at me. I was so shocked that I nearly didn't hear what Kakashi was saying...

"We have a mission today."

"Whoot! Oh yeah." I looked at Naruto, he seemed happy again. I'm glad, even though he annoys me, I prefer it when he's happy. He turned and looked at me. "Sakura. I need to talk to you."

"It's okay. I already know, you and Sasuke are a couple." He gave me a weird look.

"Urm that wasn't what I was going to say."

"Oh." Good going Sakura, say something that makes you sound and look stupid. He took hold of my arm and led me away from the other two. I looked back and I could see them talking about something.

"Sakura... I'm not who you think I am." I looked back at him. He wasn't smiling anymore.

"What do you mean?"

"I guess it's better if I show you." White smoke engulfed him. When it cleared I gasped. Naruko was standing in front of me. I touched her face.

"You're a girl." She nodded and smiled at me. I smiled back. "Well it's good to know I'm not the only girl in team 7 now, right?" I laughed and she laughed with me. "Look, Naruko. I'm not going to ask you why I've always known you as a boy, I'll leave it up to you to tell me when you want. I just want you to know that I'm here for you, I'm your friend, whether you like it or not."

"Thanks, Sakura. Come on we better get back to them. We've got a mission to do!"

(Naruko POV)

It felt good to finally tell them. I felt free of a burden, a very heavy burden. And now we have to go on a mission. Truth is I can't wait. I can show my team mates how strong I actually am, because I used to hold back a lot. I smiled to myself as we walked away from Konoha, holding Sasuke's hand. It felt nice to matter to someone.


	7. Sorry! Author's Note

_Edit 18/7/10: I've changed a few words and corrected some spelling mistakes, also I've taken off the unknown POV from the previous chap as it doesn't fit into what i'm planning. I'm busy working on a new chapter thanks to some inspiration from jspgnh1234. I hope to have one written in the next few weeks, Sorry for the really long wait!_


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